Israel-Hamas war has claimed lives of 24 journalists, including Al Jazeera chief's family

The devastating loss of the entire family of Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, Wael al-Dahdouh, sheds light on the perils faced by journalists in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, with many paying a heavy price.

What

• Al Jazeera, the Qatari state-owned Arabic news network, reported that Wael Al Dahdouh tragically lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday (October 25).

• The strike hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, where the family had sought refuge after being displaced.

• This incident was confirmed by Al Jazeera.

Not a first

• This isn't the first instance of such tragedy befalling Wael Al Dahdouh, highlighting the intense strain on journalists amid the Israel-Hamas War.
• The conflict began with Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, prompting Israel's declaration of war on the militant Palestinian group and subsequent strikes on Gaza.

• As of October 25, early assessments by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) indicated that among the 7,000+ casualties on both sides since the war's commencement on October 7, approximately 24 journalists were counted.
• The Israeli government faced pre-war criticism for journalist deaths. Last year, an Israeli soldier initially denied shooting Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who had clear "press" markings on her gear while working for Al Jazeera.

• UNESCO has strongly opposed the deaths of journalists on both sides due to the ongoing war.

Journalists at risk in Gaza

• Journalists reporting from Gaza are confronted with heightened risks due to Israeli ground forces, impactful airstrikes, communication disruptions, and prolonged power outages.

• A significant number of journalists reporting from the war zone have faced dire consequences, including death.

As of October 25, the impact on journalists in the Israel-Hamas war has been tremendous with 24 journalists having tragically lost their lives, including:

• 20 Palestinians, 
• Three Israelis, and 
• One Lebanese.

Apart from the ones reported dead:

• Eight journalists have been documented as injured.
• Three journalists remain unaccounted for or in detention.

Names of the journalists who have died

Here are few of the journalists who have been reported dead while reporting on the Israel-Hamas war since October 7:

Yaniv Zohar: An Israeli photographer working for Israel Hayom, lost his life in a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel.

Shai Regev: An editor in charge of the gossip and entertainment news section of the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Ma’ariv, was fatally impacted during a Hamas attack on Israel.

Ayelet Arnin: A 22-year-old news editor at the Israel Broadcasting Corporation Kan, lost her life in a Hamas attack in the southern region of Israel.

Issam Abdallah: A Beirut-based videographer working for the Reuters news agency, lost his life during a shelling incident near the Lebanon border from the direction of Israel.

Saeed al-Taweel: The editor-in-chief of the Al-Khamsa News website, met his demise when Israeli warplanes targeted a media hub in the Rimal district of western Gaza.

Roshdi Sarraj: A journalist and co-founder of Ain Media, a Palestinian media services company, tragically perished in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

The rest of the names on the list by CPJ include:

• Issam Bhar
• Abdulhadi Habib
• Yousef Maher Dawas
• Salam Mema
• Ahmed Shehab
• Mohamed Fayez Abu Matar
• Saeed al-Taweel
• Mohammed Sobh
• Hisham Alnwajha
• Assaad Shamlakh
• Mohammed Imad Labad
• Mohammed Ali
• Khalil Abu Aathra
• Sameeh Al-Nady
• Mohammad Balousha
• Ibrahim Mohammad Lafi
• Mohammad Jarghoun
• Mohammad Al-Salhi

Amid the escalating conflict, the Israel-Hamas war has endured for 19 days, and the death toll continues to rise.

The United States has opposed a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, arguing that it would primarily benefit Hamas.

Recently, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for a "humanitarian pause" because it didn't explicitly address Israel's right to self-defence.